The DragonWizard
by Star-Speckled Dragon
Summary: When Raven reopens the book that long ago imprisoned the dark dragon Malchior, what she discovers sends the Titans into a whirlwind of magic, deception, and fire-breathing flying lizards. Rating may change.
1. A Legend Retold

Hey everybody! Glad to have ya here. Well, as you can guess from the synopsis, this is kind of like a sequel to the episode "Spellbound" that takes place a while after. I'm having a ton of fun writing it, so I think you'll really enjoy reading it as well.

Let's see... As far as romance goes, there probably won't be much in this one. I may occasionally mention RxS because it takes place after Tokyo and they're supposed to be a couple, but not much. Due to some of the fanfictions that will be connected to this one, I _might_ also hint at RavenxRorek later on... but that's about it.

Erm, do I really have to do this disclaimer on a fanfiction website? *shrugs* Oh well... Disclaimer: I am not a creator/owner/whatever of TT. I also did not create Super Smash Brothers or any of the other random cool things that might be referenced in this fiction.

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**Chapter One: A Legend Retold**

_**But it did seem the power of Malchior was greater than my magics could defeat. And as the fell beast struck, I summoned the forces of my enchanted book.**_

"_**Aldruon Enlenthra Nalthos Sola Narisnor!"**_

_**And with a curse more ancient than foul Malchior himself, I strove to trap the dragon within the tome… **_

Raven sighed. _And just _why_ am I bothering to read this again?_ She wondered. _I already know how it ends – the spell works, the dragon gets spellbound into the book, which Rorek apparently decides to recount his story on, so on and so forth. Heck, I even know what happens afterward – Malchior switches the names and claims to be the good wizard, I somehow get the book and he tricks me into releasing him, only to be trapped again when I recount the curse. How charming._ Shaking her head slightly, she closed the volume, placed it beside her, and leaned back against the wall of her room.

True, it had been a slow day. No attempted robberies or take-over-the-city schemes to speak of, and as far as the Titans knew, there weren't any villains plotting anything major at the time.

Tonight would be relatively quiet, too. _Emphasis on the word, "relatively",_ the mage reflected. Cyborg and Beast Boy had finally gotten the newest Super Smash Brothers game, and would probably be playing it all night, experimenting with the new characters, stages, and whatever else the thing had to offer. Robin and Starfire, meanwhile, had gone out for the night and probably wouldn't be back for a few more hours. Raven supposed that this all meant she would have a free night, with nothing to do and no one to bother her. Maybe _that_ was why she had unlocked that old chest and taken out the book to reread.

Except that there had been plenty of "quiet nights" in the past in which she had occupied herself reading other books, meditating or practicing spells. Not to mention that she had never wanted to see the cover of that enchanted tome again… not after the way Malchior had deceived her.

Raven let out a long breath and stole a sideways glance at the hardback – rather plain-looking, yet at the same time ancient and mysterious – that now lay unceremoniously on the floor. She scowled. "What is up with you?" she muttered, half to the book and half to herself. Part of her expected the object to answer her, as it had many months ago, but she knew that it wouldn't – she recalled that the Brotherhood of Evil had somehow managed to free Malchior back when they had launched an attack on the Titans and all of their allies, and that the dragon had ended up sucked into Herald's parallel dimension.

After a long moment, she stood up and stretched. "I'm wasting my time," she grumbled to herself. "I'll just go read something else." With that she turned and began to leave the room, until a voice made her freeze in her tracks.

"_But, you haven't yet finished the story…"_

* * * * *

Every muscle in Raven's body tensed at the sound of that voice. "Malchior," she growled; her voice calm but cold as ice. "You found your way back."

"_Well… Yes and no,"_ the book replied evenly as its violet-eyed owner turned back around. _"The spell that released Malchior the second time was too weak, and only lasted temporarily; though you sent him to another dimension, he was soon returned to his prison here. However, I am not he._ I _am Rorek, the wizard who fought Malchior, only to become trapped along with him."_

Raven scowled. "Just what makes you think I'm going to believe that story? Rorek used a curse to imprison _you_, not to get both of you stuck in that book."

By now, the tome had opened itself to a picture Rorek shown from the waist up – evidently the appearance that the speaker had chosen to take. Rorek was a young wizard, perhaps seventeen, and wore a silver and black outfit with a black scarf over his mouth and a jagged mark that looked like the letter, "M" embroidered on the front of his shirt. As Raven studied the picture, the voice spoke again. _"I had a feeling that you wouldn't believe me,"_ it lamented. _"Malchior is very cunning; I am not surprised to know that he has deceived you once already. But please, just read the rest of the story, and then maybe you will understand."_

Raven eyed the tome suspiciously, but moved forward. _I guess it wouldn't hurt to take a look,_ she thought to herself.

As the Azarathean approached, the book flipped through a hundred or so pages, finally coming to rest open to the same page that she had been reading earlier. She picked it up gingerly and began to read.

…_**I strove to trap the dragon within the tome. It was a daring choice, to be made only as a last resort; but Malchior was so powerful and cruel a monster that there were no alternatives.**_

_**The effect of the curse was as magnificent as I had been told. No sooner had I uttered the words than ensnaring tendrils of magic shot out of the book and wound around the dragon snout and claw. The beast was trapped – I could feel it in the power of the book's enchantment and the hopelessness of Malchior's struggles to break free.**_

"_**No!" the dragon bellowed, turning his crimson eyes to me. "If I must be prisoner, than you will as well!" And with those words, he shot me with a final curse.**_

_**I had no time to evade the spell. Even as Malchior disappeared within the book, I dropped it under the impact of the curse. Dark magic coursed through my body, and I felt myself growing, my form shifting. When the transformation was complete, I looked at myself to see dark scales where clothing and human flesh should have been. The curse had transformed me into a dragon, in the very likeness of Malchior himself.**_

_**Before I could wonder why it was that the dark dragon had chosen this as his final revenge, the enchanted book became active again. Its curse now confused me with Malchior, and the curse had been instructed to imprison Malchior. Within a moment the tendrils of magic ensnared me; within another moment, I too was trapped inside the tome.**_

_**For a thousand years this has been the case. The dread dragon Malchior is defeated, now a prisoner within this very book. But I, Rorek of Nol, remain prisoner as well.**_

"_You can stop there,"_ the voice suddenly broke in, a sad note perceptible in its tone.

Raven blinked in confusion. Sure, it was the end of the chapter, and it certainly _sounded_ like the end of the book, but there were still many pages left. "But I thought you wanted me to read to the end," she replied.

The voice chuckled. _"I asked you to read to the end of my story, not necessarily the end of the entire book. You see, one of the more unusual and amusing aspects of enchanted books is that when one is used, the tale behind its use is recorded within the pages automatically, told from the wielder's point of view."_

Raven nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense," she muttered. "Otherwise, this one would have been blank because you weren't there to write out the story yourself."

"_Precisely,"_ the voice responded. _"You will understand, then, why I already knew about Malchior's more recent antics, as well as what lies beyond that page: Because you too have used this book's magic,_ your_ tale is now recorded here."_

Curious and still a little suspicious, Raven turned through the pages to see for herself. Sure enough, a second story began a page or two after where the last one had ended – telling about how she had befriended, been tricked by, freed, and finally resealed Malchior – as if she had written them herself. Pictures even accompanied the story, as if taken by a black-and-white camera as the events unfolded. Creepy.

Her curiosity satisfied, Raven finally turned back to the picture of Rorek that the voice had been using to "look" at her. "All right," she started, though she had a strong feeling that she already knew the answer to her next question. "Just why are you so intent on showing me all of this?"

"_Because, Raven,"_ the book replied coolly. _"I need you – to finally set me free."

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_Hope you like it so far! Please review so I know you care, and I'll add the next chapter as soon as I can. Ciao for now!


	2. Friend or Foe?

Whoo, next chapter! Heh heh, I finished it a little later than I had hoped, sorry about that. But at least it's up now, right? -sweatdrop- Anyway, hope you enjoy!

By the way, my disclaimer still stands. No, I do _not_ own Samus or the Metroid games...

**

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Chapter Two: Friend or Foe?**

Raven spent the next several hours poring over every one of the many volumes she had on magical artifacts. She wanted to know everything about these enchanted books: how they worked, how rare they were, how easy or hard it would be to change the words on the page. If "Rorek" spoke the truth, she intended to free him as soon as possible. But she still felt suspicious; if he was really just Malchior trying a new, clever tactic to trick her into freeing him again, she wouldn't dare let herself fall for it.

Finally, the mage sat down again next to the book, which had been propped open and "watching" silently the entire time. _"Well?"_ the book asked hopefully. _"Are you convinced now that I am speaking the truth?"_

Raven glanced through the notes she had scrawled during her research. "Well, the facts seem to support you," she admitted.

"_The facts?"_ the voice replied with amusement. _"Such as…?"_

Raven answered his tone with an annoyed glare. "Enchanted tomes like yours are very rare, so it was hard for me to find much information on them," she started, flipping through her notes as she spoke. "Their magic is activated by a spoken curse, which causes them to trap the recipient of the curse within. This can be undone only through a much more complicated spell and potion – though that's something I already knew."

"_Yes, yes… Go on,"_ the book interjected eagerly.

"More than one person can be trapped inside an enchanted book at once, but only one can make contact with the outside world at a time," Raven continued, looking up at the picture of Rorek. "I'm guessing that's why Malchior was the only one to contact me before, and why he isn't now?"

"_Yes, of course,"_ the voice responded, again amused. _"Until Malchior first spoke to you a few months ago, neither of us had been able to contact any of the few people who came across this book. You see, when your soul is trapped within a magical prison and your body essentially disappears, you tend to fall into a kind of sleep. To be honest, I was not even aware of my surroundings for a couple of centuries until the book was used again; that is, when you freed Malchior and then re-imprisoned him."_

Raven nodded slowly. "That makes sense. I think I read about that somewhere in my research." _When Malchior talked to me, he said that he had been reading about spells during all that time,_ she thought to herself. _If this was really Malchior again, he would have probably claimed something similar._

There was a few moments' pause before the book decided to speak again. _"…Well? Do you trust me, or must I find another way to assure you that I am the wizard and not the dragon?"_

Raven stood up. "I'm still not so sure. I should explain all of this to the others. Even when I know who I'm freeing here, there's still a chance that Malchior will find a way to work his way through the spell and make an escape as well. We need a plan."

* * * * *

Raven entered the main room of the Tower to the sound of idle chatter. Robin and Starfire, back home now, sat on the large couch by Beast Boy and Cyborg, who had finally tired of their game for the night and set it down.

_Just how long have I been in my room?_ Raven wondered incredulously as she approached her teammates. "Guys, there's something important you need to know," she began. "I –"

"I know!" Beast Boy interrupted, standing up. "It turns out Samus is a _girl_!"

Cyborg turned to him and scowled. "Man, I told you everybody already knew that!" he replied. "Everybody but you, that is," he added in a mutter to himself.

Beast Boy looked back down at his metal companion. "Then why didn't you tell me I was playing a girl character?"

Cyborg raised an eyebrow. "I just don't see what the big deal is. You're not a girl, but you're not an intergalactic bounty hunter in a power suit either."

Raven, increasingly annoyed by the off-topic conversation, by now looked like she was going to pop a vein. "Did it ever occur to you two blockheads," she hissed, "that I might actually have something _important_ to say?"

This quieted the two immediately, and the shapeshifter quickly sat back down, but Robin stood. "What's wrong?" he asked.

With a sigh, the Azarathean explained to her friends everything she had learned about Rorek and the enchanted book. "I can't just leave Rorek in there," she finished, "But I'm not sure how to free him without running the risk that Malchior will escape too."

Robin thought his over for a moment, his chin in his hands. "So you're saying that even though the releasing spell is supposed to only work on the one you want to free, someone with strong magic can use it to break out as well?"

Raven nodded. "And we've all seen just how strong Malchior's magic is."

"Could there be a chance that this is merely Malchior attempting to trick you by changing the words in the book, and that Rorek was never really imprisoned?" Starfire considered.

"No, not really," Raven replied. "It takes a huge amount of magic just to change some of the words written in the book. I'll never understand why Malchior bothered to use all that energy to switch the names before when he could have just claimed he was Rorek."

Beast Boy shrugged. "I guess he just likes his own name a lot," he offered.

Robin started pacing across the floor. "Well, if that's the case, then we're just going to have to –" He was suddenly cut off by the sound of the Tower's alarm going off. He rushed to the computer, and the other Titans tensed, ready for action.

"Robbery, at First Bank downtown," Robin announced after reading the information on the screen for a few moments.

Beast Boy groaned. "Dude, who robs a bank this late at night?" he complained.

"Mumbo Jumbo," his leader replied after a glance at the figure on the screen. He whirled around. "Titans! Move out!"

* * *

Woo hoo, we'll be getting some action next chapter! Reviews would be very much appreciated, especially since I'm not certain I have Raven's personality quite right... Anyway, please tell me what you think, and I'll get chapter 3 up ASAP!

By the way, in case anybody was wondering, my main character on SSB is Link (and I'm a girl, muahahaha) Power to the cross-gender-players!


	3. Of Magic and Mischief

This chapter is dedicated to my sister, "Nessa", for helping me to decide which dorky bad guy to have the Titans fight. -laughs- No, seriously, it's true...

Okay, in the first scene some of the formatting might be a little confusing, so let me explain. The regular italics represent either Rorek thinking or Malchior talking, depending on which character it is (I thought it would be better not to use quotation marks for Malchior since only Rorek can hear him). Like in the last two chapters, italics with quotation marks represents Rorek talking out of the book (if that makes any sense). Well, that will be all. Enjoy!

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**Chapter Three: Of Magic and Mischief**

The alarm continued to blare and pulse red light throughout the tower until the Titans had left. From the book's little corner in Raven's room, Rorek stared out of his old picture, thinking. _Will she really let me out of this prison?_ He wondered. _Oh, to finally be free after a thousand years. I can hardly believe it!_

_Yes… To be free,_ a second voice hissed in the wizard's mind. Rorek didn't flinch – he wouldn't have even if he had a body to move – but the sound of the voice both angered and somewhat frightened him.

"_So, Malchior. You have finally found a way to communicate with me, even though I have control of the book,"_ Rorek murmured coolly.

_Of course I have, foolish wizard,_ the dragon replied. _And I also know how to use your precious mage's spell to escape this prison myself!_

Rorek chuckled. _"_My _precious?_ You're _the one who flirted with her before! Besides, you know how quick Raven and her friends are; even if you do escape, they will capture you again right away."_

This didn't seem to sway Malchior. _Oh, but I_ will _get away, you can be sure of that. And you are so desperate for freedom that you wouldn't dare take the only measure you possibly could to stop me._

* * * * *

An insane cackle rose from the street in front of First Bank. A flock of doves flew out the open doors, and a pair of strange-looking dogs in night guard uniforms ran around inside, barking in confusion. The one who had caused all of this, a blue-skinned man in a magician's suit, was currently in the process of filling a burlap bag with money that was literally flying out of an open safe.

"Oh, I should have tried taking a night raid a long time ago!" the thief chortled to himself. "With everyone asleep, it's almost too easy. Why, I bet I can finish up and get out of here before those lousy teens even get themselves fully awake and show up." By now the safe had emptied itself, so he moved on to the next one and charmed it open with a tap of his wand and a loud cry of "Mumbo Jumbo!"

"You _do_ know that those aren't real magic words, right?" Raven said drearily as she appeared in the doorway.

Mumbo turned to see the Azarathean joined by the rest of her team and scowled. "Hrmph. I guess I'll have to fight you after all," he grumbled.

"We're having a late night," Robin replied curtly. "Now, are you going to return what you've stolen now, or do we have to do this the hard way?"

The magician responded by simply raising an arm; in a moment, a dozen playing cards shot out of his sleeve at the Titans, who quickly dodged the onslaught.

"Thought so," their leader muttered as he came to a halt a few feet away. "Titans, go!"

Starfire was the first to spring into action. She rose into the air, hands already glowing a brilliant green. She began rapidly flinging starbolts at her adversary, who failed to dodge them in time and was knocked back hard onto the ground. He quickly recovered, however, and pointed his wand at her. "Abracadabra!" he shouted. A long rope quickly shot out and coiled around the Tamaranean, pinning her arms to her sides.

Mumbo's victory was short-lived, however, as he was forced to duck to avoid a headshot from Cyborg's sonic cannon. He backed away hurriedly, barely avoiding both further shots and an attempt by the still-ensnared Starfire to blast him with her eye power, only to run straight into Robin. The team leader whipped out his fighting staff and the two grappled for a moment before Mumbo was forced down by his opponent. Knowing that he was better off fighting at a range, the magician rolled out of reach of further attacks and ran about a hundred feet away before turning back to both Robin and Cyborg.

"I'll show you to mess with me," he hissed, waving his wand yet again with a cry of "Alakazam!" Out of nowhere, a flock of birds flew toward the two, cawing and flapping around madly so that the boys couldn't get anywhere.

Beast Boy was the next to attack. Taking the form of a wolf, he leaped at Mumbo and managed to take him by surprise, knocking him over. The two guards-turned-dogs, watching the battle from a ways away, were encouraged by this and decided to join the skirmish.

"Gah! Get off of me, you mutts!" Mumbo cried in frustration. He managed to throw off one growling dog that had its jaws clamped around his arm, and proceeded to wrestle with the other two for another minute before finally knocking them to the side as well.

Leaping up, the magician scurried to where he had dropped the cash-filled bags at the start of the fight and grabbed them. "Well kiddies," he smirked, "I'd love to stay and play some more, but I'd better get going." That said, he high-tailed it out of the bank – clearly not wanting to be involved in another clash with one of the Titans. He was in such a hurry, in fact, that he didn't notice when Raven made a deft movement with her hand, creating a slice of magic that slashed through the burlap and caused all of the cash to fall out of the bags.

Not long after Mumbo left, his half-baked spells began to undo themselves. The stubbornly powerful coil of rope unwound itself from around Starfire's body, and it and the birds surrounding Robin and Cyborg vanished. The two dogs disappeared as well, and in their place stood a pair of very dazed-looking night guards. Beast Boy took his human form again, and the five Titans exchanged glances for a moment before all bursting into laughter.

"Dude, I can't believe he didn't even realize when he lost all that money!" Beast Boy chortled. "I wish I could see the look on his face when he finds out. Man Raven, that was awesome!"

Raven merely shrugged, though she had the inkling of a smile on her face. "I just wasn't in much of a mood to fight and thought I'd try something else," she stated. "It was really only to slow him down; I didn't think he'd be stupid enough not to notice."

"Well, still," the shapshifter countered, "You're on a roll tonight. I mean, first you figure out all that stuff about Rorek and now –"

Raven cut him off with a warning glare. "Finding out about that book wasn't anything special," she replied curtly. "Rorek just spoke to me and told me everything. All I did was what any sensible person would do in that kind of situation."

At this point, Robin quickly decided that it was time to change the subject. "All right," he stated with authority. "It's gotten really late, so let's just clean this place up a little and then go home, get some rest and pick up on everything again tomorrow, okay? It should be easy enough to track Mumbo down now that he doesn't have any loot – he'll want to rob another place soon enough, and we'll be ready for him then." He turned to the guards, who had been listening silently to the conversation. "You two can explain everything that happened to the police, right?"

The guards nodded readily, so he turned back to his teammates. "We should all get some sleep. We can worry about Mumbo – and about Rorek – tomorrow."

* * *

Well, there we have it. If there's one thing I learned from writing this chapter, it's that it is nearly impossible to make a story sound a little serious when one of the characters has a name like "Mumbo Jumbo", heheh.

We'll be back with your regularly sceduled awesome dragon story next chapter. Until then, don't forget to review and tell me what ya think!


	4. Release

**Chapter Four: Release**

Raven studied the arrangement before her. It was by then the next day, a little before noon, and she had spent most of the morning planning and setting up the area where she would perform the spell to release Rorek. Knowing that he would still be in dragon form when he left the tome, the Titans had placed the arrangement on the tower's open roof.

The team had chosen a simple plan to keep the dark dragon at bay when they set the wizard free. While Raven performed the spell, the other four would stand ready around the circle where it was to take place. As soon as Rorek was clear of the book-prison, Starfire (being the strongest and very swift in flight) would rush in and force it shut before Malchior had a chance to use the magic for his own escape; the others would stand by to help in case anything went wrong. Not the most intricate plan, but it would be enough. Hopefully.

"_Are you sure you want to do this?"_ Rorek's voice rang clearly through the confines of the closed book, which Raven was currently holding. _"You have experienced yourself how powerful Malchior is – he may yet escape. Are you really willing to risk that for the sake of my freedom?"_

Raven took a deep breath. "He won't escape," she replied, a little more confidently than she felt. "And I can't just leave you trapped in there forever. We're getting you out of this book, today."

"Raven, is everything set?" Robin called out. By now, the Titans had taken their positions around the area where the spell was to be performed.

Raven took one last look around at the arrangement. "Yes," she replied after a moment. Stepping forward, she opened the enchanted tome to the full shot of Rorek and placed it in the center of the circle.

"Remember," she reminded her teammates, "since Rorek was cursed with Malchior's form when he was taken into the book, that's how he'll look when he comes out again."

"So, don't be surprised when a huge dragon jumps out of that thing," Beast Boy concluded. "Okay, got it."

Raven backed out of the arrangement, which really only consisted of about five spellbooks placed in a large ring around the enchanted tome, and took her own place at its head. Her teammates tensed, watching the prison-book in the middle, as the Azarathean raised her arms and began to recite the incantation for the releasing spell.

"Hezberek Et Morine Gost Wenthen Verbis Nex," she chanted smoothly, "Ind Obrium Bis Pendrule, Paran Sic Cortis Rex!"

Even as the young mage spoke, the volumes started to glow a brilliant white. When she finished reciting the spell, they abruptly released a burst of energy up into the air. Raven and the others were pushed back by the force of the magic, but all managed to hold their ground. Raven squinted into the blazing light, waiting for the dark form that she knew would soon take shape within…

A moment later, Rorek appeared – at first, only as a black shape shifting within the light; then, the great dragon lurched into the sky. Once he had cleared the area, the glow began to quickly fade.

"Now!" Raven cried, knowing that the spell would diminish for only a moment or two before Malchior tried to revive it for his own use.

Starfire tore into the ring and snapped the still-glowing tome shut, grasping the pages together to keep it from opening again. Everyone let out a sigh of relief – the escape spell could only work when the book was open. As the burning light continued to dim, Rorek swooped around and came to rest at the edge of Titan's Tower. For the first time Raven noticed that unlike Malchior's glowing crimson eyes, Rorek's were a sky-blue shade – likely the same color as in his human form.

But Malchior would not give up so easily. Suddenly, the dim pages of the enchanted tome began to shine with an ever-greater intensity. The book heaved with a new magic, taken from Raven's earlier releasing spell. Starfire's eyes widened as it strained even her viselike grip.

All at once, the book flew open and shot a new burst of energy into the air, the power of the blast knocking the Tamaranian ten feet away. Before anyone had time to react, Malchior's form took shape and launched into the sky.

"Fools," the dark dragon hissed. "You thought that physical strength could defy my power?" He began to draw up a huge amount of fire within his jaws. "You all have serviced me well… But your time for games is over!"

Before the beast could roast his adversaries, however, a different stream of fire blasted him in the side of the head. Although his thick dragon's scales prevented any burn damage, the blow broke his concentration and flared his anger in the direction of the attacker.

Rorek was just fine with taking all of Malchior's attention. Already he was in the air, taking full advantage of his new form to make a beeline for his ancient foe.

"This ends today!" the wizard-turned-dragon bellowed as he smashed into Malchior. The two serpents grappled in midair for only a moment before the evil beast broke away and tried to snag his freedom by disappearing into thick clouds. Rorek kept in hot pursuit, however, and continued to blast and strike his enemy every chance he got.

Raven and the other Titans, meanwhile, stood almost helplessly on the rooftop as they watched the battle unfold.

"Woah! Guys, we gotta do something!" Beast Boy cried, dashing toward the edge of the building as if about to take off after the dragons.

"Hold on," Robin cut in sternly. "Remember how effective we were last time we fought Malchior? If we jump in now without a plan, we're more likely to get killed in crossfire than we are to do any good." He turned to Raven. "You know more about dragons and magic than any of us. Any ideas?"

Raven shook her head. "Malchior is legendary for being both vicious and practically undefeatable. I would use the magic tome on him again, but that would trap Rorek again as well and we'd be right back where we started."

At that moment, Malchior swooped low over the tower, bringing everyone's attention back to the combat already at large. Rorek followed his opponent a moment later, but he cut it too close to the rooftop and Cyborg had to duck out of the way to avoid being knocked off by the serpent's claws.

Malchior turned around in midair just in time to see the near-incident. He smirked. "You may have my form, but you are not yet accustomed to it," he observed.

Rorek ignored the comment and flew up toward the true dragon, but Malchior curled through the air and out of the way. "I'm still a step ahead of you, no matter how equal in combat we may seem," he taunted. "You can chase me all you want, but you will never catch me."

A frustrated growl rose in Rorek's throat, and he lunged at Malchior with snapping jaws, only to be out-flown yet again.

"Enough of this foolishness," the red-eyed dragon hissed, turning back to circle around the tower. "If you are so interested in dragons, then I'll just have to bring your attention another direction." His jaws began to glow as if he were about to breathe fire again, but this time, what gathered within them was a shimmering silver color.

Raven's eyes widened. "He's trying to hit us with a curse," she explained. "Everyone, get out of the way!"

Even as she said this, the shimmering magic erupted from the serpent's maw to quickly cover the rooftop. Raven managed to form a shield, but the effort was too little, too late; it only expanded enough to protect herself, Robin and Beast Boy before the curse hit. A brilliant flash of light filled the sky as the spell took effect on Starfire and Cyborg, temporarily blinding Rorek as he tried to rush in and halt the dark dragon. In all of the confusion, Malchior managed to slip into the thick clouds and make his getaway.

Beast Boy shielded his eyes from the glare. He was really starting to get annoyed by all of these blinding lights, as he was sure everyone else would be by now, but there wasn't much he could do about it. "Okay…" he started, glancing toward Raven. "So, what did he just do?"

He was answered by an array of confused noises and shapes that burst forth as the light faded. Whatever had happened to the curse-laden Titans seemed to have changed them quite a bit – and set them into a state of panic when they were at the edge of a building. All at once, the masses disappeared over the edge of the tower; a moment later, a colossal thud echoed below.

The three still on the rooftop gave out horrified cries and rushed to the edge, looking down to see if their friends were okay.

"Umm…" Beast Boy blinked, hardly able to believe his eyes. "I think they're gonna be all right."

Raven nodded and raised an eyebrow, looking over the two dazed figures huddled on the ground. "How original," she muttered. "More dragons."

* * *

Wait, don't leave! I know it sounds like that curse didn't make sense at all, but I promise the explanation for it (which will come at the beginning of the next chapter) will put everything into perspective and it _will_ make sense. Although as far as the curse goes, I think it makes for a nice twist, no? Maybe not the most surprising one (considering Rorek was turned into a dragon before), but... Well, just wait until the next couple of chapters come out, it will be interesting ^_^

Don't forget to review! I'll have chapter five up as soon as I can.


	5. Regrouping

Quick note! If anyone was reading the reviews to this story and saw that four of them are apparently from me, that was actually my friend who was reading the chapters from my computer. I had forgotten to sign out, so the reviews ended up saying they were from me rather than being the "anonymous" kind.  


* * *

**Chapter Five: Regrouping**

Rorek gave a frustrated growl as he searched the skies for the runaway. Malchior was nowhere to be found – he'd flown fast in all the confusion, and the wizard had no clue where the dark dragon had gone. Finally, he gave up the fruitless search and returned to Titan's Tower, landing beside Robin.

"And what has happened here?" he muttered to himself, craning his serpentine neck to see what lay below. His eyes widened in surprise as he found two unconscious dragons where a pair of Titans should have been.

"Okay…" Beast Boy mumbled, "Does anyone else think this curse is really weird?"

The shapeshifter's thoughts were interrupted by a low moaning that rose from the ground below. One of the serpents, orange in color with a yellow-orange underbelly and wings, shifted painfully into a standing position and lifted its head toward the four on the roof. Bright, almost completely green eyes revealed this one to be Starfire, though she was still too dazed to realize just what had happened to her. As she looked back down at herself, she let out a gasp and leaped back in shock.

"Uhh… That's a nice look for you, Star," Beast Boy offered with a sheepish grin.

At that moment, the second dragon (who must be Cyborg) began to stir as well. Gingerly, he stood up and observed his surroundings. When he saw what Starfire had become, he doubled back and turned to look at his own reflection in the water. Sure enough, a reptilian face with midnight-blue scales on the upper half and sky-blue underneath stared back at him.

"Aww, man," he muttered incredulously, his voice larger and more gravelly than normal. "What is it with this guy and trying to make people look like him?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy agreed, looking toward Raven and Rorek. "It's like I've been trying to ask you guys – wouldn't turning us all into giant fire-breathing lizards just make us stronger? Not really the best 'curse' if you ask me."

Raven shot the green shapeshifter a look. "For one thing, dragons are _not_ just fire-breathing lizards. If you haven't noticed, they're an intelligent, magic-wielding species. And I doubt that even you could morph into one without the help of an incredibly powerful spell."

Rorek took little notice of the argument as he continued to study the cursed teammates, but after a moment he gave Beast Boy his answer. "Actually," he commented, "I have a feeling that Malchior had something unique in mind when he used that curse, something that we don't yet know about." His eyes narrowed. "As he did when he cursed me…"

Everyone was silent for a moment, but then Rorek swooped down to Cyborg and Starfire's level. The three Titans on the rooftop quickly followed, Raven giving Robin a lift on a black energy disk.

"Unique?" Starfire repeated. Her voice sounded odd in the serpent's form; still high and melodic as natural for the Tamaranian girl, yet somewhat deeper, larger and almost snakelike.

"Yes." Rorek circled once around the orange and blue dragons, trying to discern if there was something unnatural about them, and continued. "I can already tell you that though the curse gave you this form, it could not have given you the ability to wield spells as Malchior can because you did not possess magic in the first place." He came around front again and halted. "And I have a strong feeling that this is not the only ability you currently lack."

The black-and-violet serpent remained still for a moment, mulling over what he should try next. Suddenly, he vaulted into the sky. "See if you can catch me," he called out as he began to circle the tower.

Cyborg snorted eagerly, always ready to rise to a challenge. "Just watch me!" he cried, leaping heavenward. His wings fluttered slightly as he tried to beat them through the air; to his astonishment, he could move them no more than that and immediately dropped back to the ground. Seeing this, Starfire let out a worried groan and tried to move her own wings. She could only shift them a little on her back – certainly not the kind of action required for flight.

Beast Boy chuckled. "Hey, looks like you two are gonna need a couple of flying lessons before you leave the nest," he joked.

"This isn't good," Robin said with a frown. "If they're stuck like this and can't fly, they'll barely be able to get off of the island – let alone help track down Malchior."

"It is because most creatures don't have a third pair of limbs on their back, and therefore do not have experience in using those muscles, " Rorek explained as he glided back down to the ground. "Likely, the only reason _I_ am able to fly and breathe fire is because I am very well accustomed to dragons, and can mimic their movements more naturally… that, or because of the fact that I was cursed almost fully with Malchior's actual form, and therefore his instincts."

Cyborg's head jerked up. "Hold up, did you just say we can't breathe fire either?" he cried. He immediately tested the ability by letting out a harsh breath through his mouth in an attempt to release fire. Sure enough, only air came out. The half-robot-turned-dragon growled in frustration. "Man, and I'd been looking forward to giving Malchior a taste of his own medicine!"

Starfire turned her eyes toward Rorek. "Is there any way to change us back to our natural forms?" she asked.

Rorek nodded. "There are a few. For me, it is as simple as reciting the following spell…" He bowed his head slightly, and after a second his eyes began to glow a bright white. Smoothly and evenly, he chanted, "Meus Exemplar Vultus Reverto Volo." The white light engulfed him, and his form rapidly shrank until he was once again the young man pictured in the enchanted book.

Cyborg snorted and brought his head down to the wizard's level. "If you could change back just by using that spell, why didn't you do it earlier?" he questioned.

"Because I felt that the form Malchior lent to me would prove more useful up to this point," Rorek replied. "And if you're referring to when he originally cursed me, there had been no time to react before I was drawn into the book." He crossed his arms and looked up at his cursed companions.

"I wish I could say that Raven or I could use this same spell to return you to your original states as well, but unfortunately it is not so easy," he explained. "Normally, there are only two people who can break a morphing spell – the one who cast it and the one transformed. As I said before, the two of you lack magical ability even as dragons…"

"And there's no way that Malchior will change them back himself," Robin finished, his eyes narrow.

Starfire's expression turned fearful. "So, we are stuck like this forever?!" she cried.

Rorek frowned, thinking. "No, I can't imagine that there would be no other solutions," he reassured. "There must be something…" He turned to Raven. "Do you know of any potions that could help us break the spell?"

Raven shook her head. "I don't really work with potions that often. And I never came across anything in any of my spellbooks either."

"Hmm. Perhaps we will find a solution if we visit your homeland?" The wizard considered.

Raven's expression fell a little. "There aren't many people left there to help us," she replied solemnly. "But… it's the only chance we have."

Robin listened quietly to this, and then addressed the two magicfolk. "If you need to travel to Azarath for help, then you should both go; we need to get this figured out quickly. It would be better for everyone else to stay here – The two of you know a lot more about magic than the rest of us combined." He paused for a moment, thinking over the situation. "But if you have to leave for this, then with Starfire and Cyborg stuck on the island, that only leaves me and Beast Boy to go after Malchior. You'll need to hurry, or maybe even wait until we've all caught him before you go." He turned to his cursed teammates. "If that's all right with you guys, that is."

"Actually," Rorek interjected, "Malchior is likely going to hide out for a little while before making his next move. It would be best if Raven and I leave right away, so that we can be back with the reversing spell before he strikes."

The team leader nodded. "Let's get ready then," he urged. He turned around and began walking swiftly toward the tower entrance. "Come on, team. We have work to do."

* * *

Hrm, I really feel like the ending to this chapter could have been better :/ I really don't like how that long paragraph turned out, but it was the only way I could set the scene up for next part of the fic without taking _forever_ to have the characters decide what to do next. Oh well, I think the rest of the chapter turned out pretty nicely at least ^_^

If there's anyone out there who might be afraid that I'm gonna just have my dragon-Titans sit there and not be able to do anything for the rest of the fanfic, don't worry about it. I didn't use a crazy transformation curse with them for nothing, after all! Oh, these next chapters will be fun ^_^


	6. Separation and Unification

Hey! Sorry about the long wait, I hadn't updated in a while and then just recently updated on another fanfic. It won't take so long next time, I promise! Aah, I've got a bit of a disclamer for this chapter (no, not the "I don't own this" kind of disclamer): For those of you who are familiar with the TT comics, don't be expecting any of their information on Azarath to be showing up here. I'm not much of a comic reader, and I'm afraid I have absolutely no clue what they say about the place. Instead, I'm going to take the bit of info that the show has given us and add my own ideas about the place from there.

Also, it seems that for some reason this system has taken out the ability to center a bunch of asterisks as scene seperators, which I'm used to doing. I'll have to use another method from now on, but previous chapters are now un-seperated. *sigh*

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**Chapter Six: Separation and Unification**

Mumbo Jumbo was not in a good mood.

"That is the last time I store my goods in anything other than my hat!" the crazed magician hissed to himself as he stalked down an alleyway. He was currently hiding out in a relatively secluded corner of the city, full of little-used buildings and winding alleys.

"Those Titans have made a fool out of me!" he continued. "I'll have to get back at them. Hmm… My magic _has_ gotten better. I know! I'll turn them _all_ into rabbits! They'll never be able to challenge me then!" He started cackling maniacally, but something cut him off.

"Come now, surely you can come up with a better idea than that," a large voice jeered, seemingly out of nowhere.

Mumbo froze midstep. He hadn't thought that there would be anyone around here – much less that they would have been listening to his ranting.

"Then again," the voice continued lazily, "From what I've heard about you, such a spell would probably be a true feat for your pitiful excuse for magic. Of course, I can fix that easily once you pledge to serve me."

Mumbo scowled. He looked in the direction of the taunting, which seemed to be coming from an abandoned warehouse not too far ahead. "I am the Amazing Mumbo!" he declared. "I am not anybody's assistant."

A laugh echoed from the bowels of the old building. "I assure you, when you see who_ I_ am you will want to reconsider. Besides, there is something that we both want. It is fortunate that our paths crossed. I could use a little help, and you would certainly be better off with a bit of _real_ magic on your side."

By now, the magician had regained his composure and was walking up to the warehouse with a mixture of irritation and intrigued curiosity. He'd had enough of this mystery voice business, and just had to see who was making this offer. When he got close enough to see the shadowed source of the voice, he fell back a step and let out a gasp of astonishment.

Malchior smirked, clearly pleased with Mumbo's reaction to his presence. "So," the dragon hissed, lowering his head to the human's level, "Do we have a deal?"

0 0 0 0 0

Finally, the blazing light cleared. Raven studied her surroundings, taking in the true picture of Azarath.

The city was just as she had expected it to be – a sort of in-between of the two visions she had seen the last time she'd visited. Although no longer beset by the fires of a demon's curse, it was ruined and desolate. Once-gleaming buildings lay crumbled at her feet, and only the occasional passing of a lone wanderer marked that there was any life left in the area.

Rorek folded his arms in discomfort. He didn't need to ask what had happened to this place, as the half-demoness had already filled him in, but he felt uneasy in the ruined city. "Forgive me for asking," he murmured, "but are you sure that there is anything here that can help us?"

"No," Raven replied truthfully. "But we have to at least try." She thought for a moment. "If any of its members are still here, the Azarathean Council might be able to help us, or at least point us in the right direction. And I think I know where we can find one of them." She headed off, with Rorek following close behind.

"And who is this person that you know the location of?" the wizard inquired.

"Arella," Raven answered. "My mother."

0 0 0 0 0

When Robin and Beast Boy reentered the main room, they were greeted by a pair of enormous reptilian heads hovering on the other side of the window.

"They've left?" Cyborg's gruff voice was clearly audible, even through the thick glass.

Robin nodded. "They'll be back as soon as they've found a counterspell," he assured.

Beast Boy collapsed onto the couch. "So, what do we do now?"

"We wait," the team leader replied. "And hope that nobody gives us trouble until they've returned."

As if on cue, the alarm suddenly started blaring. With a scowl, Robin headed for the computer. A moment later, he let out a growl and pounded his fist on the console.

"Mumbo again! With everything going on, I completely forgot about him!"

Cyborg scowled. "You guys sure Star and I can't tag along for this? I'm sure we can find a way to –"

"Pssh, don't worry about us," Beast Boy interrupted. "Mumbo may be annoying, but we've gone up against _way_ worse baddies before."

"…There are only two of you."

Beast Boy shot up at that. "Oh, right." He turned to Robin. "Can't the giant, super-strong lizards come with us?"

Robin thought it over for a second, but shook his head. "We'll be fighting in the middle of the city. Having a couple of dragons around will make everything crowded and confusing – especially when they aren't used to handling themselves." He looked apologetically up at his transformed companions. "Sorry, but you two will have to sit this one out."

As the boys turned to leave, Starfire spoke up. "The Mumbo is a very tricky opponent," she stated, a note of worry in her voice. "Be careful."

Robin turned back for a moment. The dragoness' head hung so close to the window that her hot breath fogged it slightly, and her emerald eyes were wide with concern. Those eyes were the only part of her that had remained the same after her transformation, but between them and the look on her face, he could easily picture the young Tamaranian staring through that windowpane. He couldn't help but chuckle a little to himself as he placed a hand affectionately on the glass.

"Don't worry, Star," he replied with more assurance than he felt. "We will."


End file.
